In Art, Design and Technology students will be taught to:

• Enjoy, think about and talk about their work
• Experiment and explore with ideas, techniques and materials
• Respect their own and others work
• Use tools and materials safely and responsibly

Taking turns, negotiating and helping each other, all contribute to developing children’s sensitivity to other people and respect to their ideas and skills. 

We believe that art, design and technology are subjects that can help us to understand and give meaning to the world we live in.  Through our curriculum we aim to provide students with an experience that is exciting, that extends knowledge and understanding of themselves, the wider community and the social, political, cultural, economic and historical context in which art and design traditions have evolved.

We aim to help our students combine practical and technological skills with creative thinking to design and make products which meet human needs and improve the quality of life. We would like them to learn how to use current technologies and consider the impact of future possible technological developments.

Within the Art, Design and Technology subjects, we expect students to combine practical and intellectual skills with and understanding of aesthetic, technical, cultural, health, social, emotional, economic, industrial and environmental issues.

We also support our students to aspire through their learning experiences to standards of excellence intellectually, practically, and aesthetically. Each student experiences a variety of media and techniques. In KS3 students will develop their skills and understanding with progressive complexity and sophistication, so that they are able to make informed choices and work with increasing independence into Key Stages 4 and 5.

Our values are to support open mindedness, respect for others, self-determination and planning well. We support students in learning to co-operate and negotiate and be able to share good practice and learn from others. We develop students’ awareness of the impact of art and design on society and expect them to achieve by applying a variety of skills from the wider curriculum together with those specific to Art, Design and Technology to produce effective and considered prototype products and artworks.

We enable students to enjoy their learning in Art, Design and Technology and to gain transferable skills that will help them in other curriculum areas and in life. We aim to enable our students to become:

• Successful independent learners who enjoy learning, understand how to make progress and achieve to their potential
• Confident self-managers and team-workers, who are willing to take risks and keep an open-mind about new ideas and techniques
• Responsible citizens aware of the role they play in society and the importance of art, design and technology in contributing to society
• Confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives

The facilities and expertise in the area enable these aims and values to be explored through Art and Design, Food, Textiles, Graphics, Resistant Materials and Control Technology.

Our syllabus meets with the requirements of the National Curriculum and is designed to lead to excellence in GCSE’s, providing many of our students with a strong foundation from which to excel in further art, design and STEM related studies.

Mrs A. Levitt – Head of Art, Design and Technology
Mr B Orr – Assistant Curriculum Leader
Mrs K Robbins – Community Co-ordinator
Miss L Buckle – Teacher of Design & Technology
Mrs J Winship – Teacher of Design & Technology
Miss L Mather – Teacher of Art and Design & Technology
Mrs S Smith – Teacher of Design & Technology
Mrs E Henry – Teacher of Design & Technology
Mr K Todd – Vice Principal / Teacher of Art and Design & Technology
Mrs T Matthews – Technical support

Resources and facilities

The department is situated in the Design Centre at the centre of the college campus. Within the block we have 2 workshop areas for multi-media work, a CAD/CAM centre, 1 ICT room, 1 Textiles room, 1 Graphics/Multi-media room, 2 Art and Design rooms and 1 Food room.

In addition to this in the CAD/CAM centre we have a laser cutter and a range of other CAD/CAM facilities. We have up-to-date ICT software to develop CAD work in projects. The department also has a set of portable notebook computers and digital cameras to support learning.

Excellence in the Specialism SSAT award
Students work displayed on Saatchi Gallery website
Students work on display in 20/21 visual arts centre ‘Young Talent’ exhibition

• develop their designing and making skills;
• develop knowledge and understanding of materials and components; systems and control; and structures;
• develop their capability, through combining their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding to design and make products;
• nurture creativity and innovation through designing and making;
• explore values about and attitudes to the made world and how we live, work and interact within it;
• develop a critical understanding of technological processes, products and their manufacture, and how they contribute to our society;
• prepare for making a contribution to life and work in a technological society;
• relate and apply knowledge and understanding from across the curriculum.
• develop confidence and enjoyment in art, craft and design.
• seek to stimulate imagination and inventiveness through the student’s first hand experience and by reference to the imaginative work of others.
• appreciate and value individual responses in their own right.
• provide opportunities for students to experiment, initiate, make choices and act on them.

Students opt from the range of courses in both Design and Technology and Art and Design. As we are a Technology College all students choose a Technology option.

Courses offered at GCSE in the Art, Design and Technology area:

GCSE Textiles Technology AQA
GCSE Food Technology AQA
GCSE Graphic Products Edexcel
GCSE Product Design- Resistant Materials Edexcel
GCSE Product Design OCR
GCSE Art and Design Fine Art AQA
BTEC Art and Design First/Extended Certificate Edexcel

Design and Technology
Courses at KS4 in Design and Technology are taught through focussed practical tasks, theory lessons and workshop lessons. Designing and Making assessments and written exams added together to work out a final grade by the examination board

GCSE Textiles Technology AQA
Assessment- Controlled assessment Design and Make project 60% Written exam 40%

GCSE Food AQA
Assessment- Controlled assessment Design and Make project 60% Written exam 40%

GCSE Graphic Products Edexcel
Assessment- Controlled assessment Design and Make project 60% Written exam 40%

GCSE Product Design- Resistant Materials Edexcel
Assessment- Controlled assessment Design and Make project 60% Written exam 40%

GCSE Product Design OCR
Assessment- Designing 30% Innovation challenge 20% Making- 30% Written exam- Designer 20%

Art and Design GCSE
Students will develop drawing, painting and making skills in GCSE and BTEC Art and Design. Students will learn how to research the work of other artists and art from other countries and learn how and why they created their work. Coursework makes up 60% of the final marks.  The controlled test makes up 40% of the final marks. Both are added together to work out a final grade by the examination board.

BTEC Art and Design
BTEC Art and Design offers students the opportunity to study a course with a more vocational flavour. Students work towards art and design briefs with very specific objectives. Students are assessed throughout the course and work is exhibited for external verification.

Students can opt from any of the following courses at KS5

AS Product Design- Graphic Products Edexcel A2 Product Design- Graphic Products Edexcel
AS Product Design- Resistant Materials Edexcel A2 Product Design- Resistant Materials Edexcel
AS Fine Art Edexcel A2 Fine Art Edexcel
AS Art and Design Textiles  AQA A2 Art and Design Textiles AQA
Applied Art and Design AS/A2 (Double and Single Award) AQA